Hi all, I haven't posted here for a while, but suddenly find myself in the market for new skis for my quickly growing youngest daughter, and this is where I automatically turn for advice! I've found a terrific bargain on the 2016 Kenja in 163, but want to be certain it'll work for her. I've already narrowed down the choices (based on various internet reviews) to Kenja, Black Pearl, and Atomic Vantage 90 CTI W, bearing in mind they all have fairly different skiing characteristics. My pick of the 3 for her would have been the Atomic, until I found this bargain on the Kenja. There may be others, and I'll gladly listen to any advice.
So, my daughter is 14, around 5ft 3.5 (161cm) tall, and somewhere around 55+ kg, I think. Normal weight for height I'd say, neither very skinny nor solid. She's growing taller fast, and probably will for another couple of years, so ideally whatever we get should last for that time. Her big sister is 5ft 11, but I'm 5ft 8.5, and at a guess I'd say she will end up no taller than me, and possibly a little shorter. She's been quite sick this year (and occasionally last year) with a chronic, but not particularly serious health condition, which she's expected to grow out of. As a consequence, she's not very fit right now. She starts school rowing in September, which should help -- if it doesn't trigger a relapse. She also gets sore knees from time to time.
Having said that, she's a fairly decent skier. She's had about 35 days of race training (plus other instruction) over the past 4 years and has moderately solid technique. She's quite fearless, and will ski pretty much anything, from a GS race to tight, steep hike-to chutes. I think the only thing she isn't interested in is park.
Skis she's had in the past that she liked were her junior Head slalom skis, some junior Moment all-mountain skis that she grew out of very quickly, and most recently K2 Missconducts in 158. She liked the Missconducts when they were way over her head, but they're now at eye level and she's not having fun with them anymore. I suspect they're not that stiff.
I guess I'm trying to get a feel for whether the Kenja in 163 is going to be too much ski for her.